Shadows of Hueco Mundo
by RAHbooks
Summary: Orihime did not know what was waiting for her in Hueco Mundo, but the last thing she expected to find was friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, I know, stories about Orihime's time in Hueco Mundo have been done to death, but I have so many ideas for stories afterword that I felt like I had to get my version of this out here rather than explaining it over and over in different stories. They won't all connect to each other, but what happens here should apply to all of them. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter One**

**Undone**

"Welcome to Las Noches, Orihime."

Orihime Inoue stood in the throne room of Las Noches, looking up at Aizen's throne. A beat of silence followed his greeting, then, as if he had just thought of it he said, "Oh, I know what we should do. Orihime, why don't you restore Grimmjow's left arm?"

"That's impossible! She's not a god!"

Orihime barely heard the Espada's objection, she was so taken aback. How could she heal any of them when that would enable them to harm her friends? Yet she had known this would be something Aizen would demand of her, and despite wording it as a suggestion she knew it was really an order. If she refused he had plenty of other Arrancars to send after her friends. Reluctantly she stepped forward to do as she was told.

"Shun'ō, Ayame, Sōten Kisshun, I reject," she was surprised her voice was so steady as she called on her Shun Shun Rikka. Focused on her task she payed no attention to Aizen as he explained her powers to the gathered Arrancars, but she could feel all their eyes on her.

When she finished, Grimmjow lifted his arm, staring at it for a moment as he turned it and flexed his fingers. Then he grinned and turned his back to her. He gestured back with his thumb and said, "Hey, would you reject something else for me?" She saw the burn scar he was referring to and did as he asked, revealing a numeral six tattoo.

She only had a moment to register the alarm on the face of the small Espada that had protested her healing Grimmjow before the blue-haired Arrancar pounced and stabbed him through the chest with his bare hand.

Orihime ran forward to heal the injured Hollow, but was stopped when someone grabbed her from behind wrapping her in a firm hold. "If you interfere he will kill you too," she recognized the unfeeling voice of the one who had brought her here, Ulquiorra. "This is how it is here. The strong survive at the expense of the weak. You will need to remember that if you expect to last long enough to be of use to Aizen-sama." She stopped fighting to break free, it was pointless.

As she watched Grimmjow laugh in triumph while Aizen smiled down at the scene she realized she had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

Orihime sat on the floor under the window—the only source of light—in the room Ulquiorra had left her in. For some time, all she could do was hope healing Grimmjow had not made things worse for her friends. Eventually she pulled out the slender book she had tucked in her waistband and covered with her sweater: _The Two Princesses of Bamarre. _She had smuggled it with her as a reminder of home, and she hoped, to inspire courage. She stared down at it a moment, then realized that if one of the Espada found out she had brought it and why, they might destroy it. She glanced around the room for a hiding place, but the only possible spot she could see was under the large couch where anyone who was suspicious of her would think to look. She stood and walked along the edges of the room, hoping to find something she had missed. Finally, she found a door that blended into the wall. Opening it she found it led into a bedroom, a wardrobe stood in the corner to the left. She immediately rejected the idea of hiding her book in the wardrobe, it was an obvious place to look, but the wide base left some space between the back of it and the wall. Enough to slip the book into. She smiled as she pulled it in and out of the gap a few times to make sure it would work. The small volume that was now one of her most valuable possessions was as safe as she could make it.

Satisfied, she set to exploring the rest of the room. The wardrobe contained dresses that were all identical, black and white they resembled what the Arrancars wore. Did they expect her to dress the same? The bed, like the couch, was enormous, she could get lost in it. When she pressed the mattress with her hand it felt soft, though she doubted she would ever be comfortable enough to sleep here unless she was completely exhausted.

Everything was black and white. She could see no light source in this room, yet there was enough light to see. She wondered if the walls were so white they glowed.

Eventually she found another door, this one leading to a bathroom with a shower stall, toilette, and sink. When she turned the handle on the sink she was almost surprised that water poured from the tap. How had Aizen managed that in a desert world?

Wanting to be sure she would know where supplies were when she needed them she leaned down to open the cabinet under the sink. It was filled with all the necessities, enough to last for months.

She sank to the floor, staring into the cabinet. How long had they been planning to bring her here? Could they possibly have collected all this in the twelve hours she had been given to say goodbye? How long did they expect her to stay? The answer to the last question whispered at the back of her mind, _forever._ Suddenly her victory in hiding her book seemed very small indeed.

Orihime dragged in a shaking breath attempting to calm herself, but soon she was sobbing uncontrollably. She had known she was trading herself for her friends, but she realized she had not really known what that would mean. She would be stuck, alone, in this colorless world for the rest of her life, forced to help the people who had put her friends in danger in the first place. She could very well end up doing more harm than good. Worst of all was knowing that if the mere sight of a few bathroom supplies could undo her so completely she could not possibly stand a chance against Aizen.

**I wrote a one shot a while back called "Step Follows Step" about Orihime processing going to Hueco Mundo and deciding to bring **_**The Two Princesses of Bamarre**_** with her. The book parallels what I want to do with Orihime's character development so it's a bit of a reference to that as well. Anyway, I hope y'all like what I'm doing with this idea. **

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	2. Chapter 2

**Woops, I just realized I forgot to put a disclaimer on the first chapter. Well, I don't own Bleach or any of the characters, this is just for my own entertainment, and I hope yours too. Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Chapter Two**

**Trapped**

Orihime finally managed to pull herself together and sat on the couch trying to figure out how she could help her friends from her prison. The door swung open and Ulquiorra entered with two female Arrancars who appeared to be teenagers a bit younger than her. "Aizen-sama sent us to come get you," said the one with black pigtails.

As the three Arrancars escorted her the blond one whined, "I don't see why Aizen-sama is so interested in some human girl."

The black-haired girl nodded, "So she can heal? So, what? It's not like we actually need that, only losers like Grimmjow come back from a defeat alive."

Orihime bit her lip and clutched her left arm. What could she say? She didn't understand what Aizen wanted with her any more than they did.

"It is not our place to question Aizen-sama, only to follow his orders." Ulquiorra reminded the other two. The girls fell into a sulking silence.

They arrived in a different room than where she had been introduced to the Espada. Aizen's "throne" here simply sat on the shining tiles and looked more like a comfortable office chair. Aizen smiled when they entered. "Welcome, Orihime. Loly, Menoly, you did well. You may leave."

The girls gasped, "Aizen-sama, we can't leave her here with you! Not with her strange powers." Aizen simply narrowed his eyes at them. They knelt and pleaded "Forgive us." As they walked out Orihime heard one of them mutter, "What is with her?" Aizen gave no indication he had heard. Ulquiorra stood just outside the doors as they closed, leaving her alone with Aizen.

He was quiet a moment, taking in her appearance. "Why are you still wearing that school uniform? You are welcome to change into the clothes I had provided for you." His tone was gentle, but she understood that when he said "welcome" he really meant "required".

She forced herself to meet his eyes as she answered, "These are still clean, I'm sure I'll wear one of those beautiful dresses tomorrow." She almost choked on the word beautiful. The dull colors were nothing she would have chosen, and dressing her like his Arrancars was just one more way for him to lay a claim on her. But what could she do? She was stuck here and following his rules was the only way she might survive this.

Aizen let the matter of her clothing pass. "I suppose you are wondering why I had you brought here." She nodded, unsure whether he meant Hueco Mundo or this room. "I want to show you something." He rose from his chair and moved toward her. Stopping a few feet from her he raised his hand and a pedestal rose from the floor. Sitting atop it was the object he had pulled from Rukia's chest. Orihime gasped as she felt it pull at her Spirit Energy.

"This is the Hōgyoku. Put simply it enhances Spirit Energy. It is what I use to transform Hollows into Arrancars, it may even be responsible for the development of you own powers. But it is not yet fully awakened. I can temporarily awaken it to create Arrancars, but I cannot use its full power. That is why I have not yet attacked the Seireitei. I need to wait until it is ready." At a motion from him the pedestal sank back into the floor. "I showed you this to prove I trust you."

Orihime resisted the urge to step back as he moved towards her again. He placed a hand on her cheek and leaned so close she thought he was going to kiss her, but she didn't dare move, afraid that refusing him even something that simple would be enough for him to order Espada to attack her friends again. She breathed easier when he smiled and stepped back. "Tomorrow you will begin training with Ulquiorra." He motioned toward the door, clearly dismissing her. She couldn't suppress a sigh of relief as she left.

Orihime was silent as Ulquiorra escorted her back to her room. When he turned to leave she finally managed to speak up, "Aizen said that I'm going to start training with you tomorrow."

He turned those intense eyes back on her before replying, "I have been informed."

She lowered her own eyes to the floor, the lack of emotion in his made his gaze harder to meet than Aizen's, at least Aizen still seemed human. "I don't understand. If I'm a prisoner here, why train me?" Remembering his admonishment to Loly and Menoly about not questioning Aizen she didn't really expect him to answer. He surprised her.

"Aizen-sama brought you here because your powers may be useful to him. In order to be of use you must train to fully develop them."

"I see," she said, looking up. It was a perfectly logical explanation, but she wondered if that was really the whole truth.

He must have guessed what she was thinking, because he added, "The Eighth Espada, Szayelaporro Granz has also been ordered to study your abilities."

Orihime stiffened, and she felt her heart rate rise, "You mean…in a lab?"

"He will be working under tight restrictions, and my close observation. He is not to cause any permanent damage or any more discomfort than necessary."

She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat, "permanent" and "necessary" were not reassuring word choices.

Obviously noticing her reaction, Ulquiorra continued, "He will not begin his studies for a few days. I will determine the current level of your Spirit Energy and abilities first. His limits will be based on my own observations."

"I-I'd rather not let him study me at all. As long as my powers are at Aizen's disposal, why should he care how they work?"

His eyes narrowed just slightly, "I remind you that you have no choice. As long as you are here you will follow Aizen-sama's commands. You are aware of what the consequences will be if you do not."

She looked down again, "Yes, I know."

He started to leave, then turned back once more, "In the future you will refer to Aizen-sama properly."

Orihime didn't allow herself to cry again until she heard his footsteps fade down the hall. How had she been so inescapably trapped?

**I promise Orihime isn't going to cry at the end of every chapter, but considering the situation she's in I think it's understandable for her to cry a good bit at least at first. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and keep reading.**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	3. Chapter 3

**The disclaimer still stands, not much else to say except I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter Three**

**Stronger**

Orihime sat on the couch, now dressed in one of the dresses from the wardrobe. An Arrancar had wordlessly brought her breakfast and took the empty tray away leaving her alone with her thoughts while she waited for Ulquiorra to fetch her for training.

"I don't think Aizen showed me the Hōgyoku because he trusts me," she thought, staring at the blank wall across the room. She thought of what Aizen had said about her powers. "I know what I have to do now, I have to destroy the Hōgyoku." But how would she get the chance? She rose from the couch to stand under the window, staring at the pale moon as if it had the answers.

"This is a surprise. Those clothes suit you."

Orihime whirled with a gasp to see Ulquiorra standing in the doorway, "When did you get here?"

"Just now. Don't make such a fuss over everything, it's annoying." He didn't sound annoyed; his voice was as monotone as ever. "I came to bring you to training."

She nodded, but hesitated, "What am I supposed to do with this training? Am I going to have to fight my friends?"

His eyes hardened as he answered, "Those people are no longer your friends. By coming here and wearing those clothes you signal that you are one of us now. You belong to Aizen-sama body and soul."

She looked down and whispered, "I understand."

"Then say it." She looked up in surprise, but said nothing. "Who do your body and soul belong to?"

Orihime felt her throat constrict, but forced herself to make eye contact and speak levelly as she gave him the answer he wanted. "They belong to Aizen-sama and are for his purpose and use."

He nodded once, then turned to the door, "Now come, Ona, it is time to begin your training."

She followed him silently through the stark white corridors. She tried to keep track of where they were going, counting the doors they passed and turns they took, but everything looked so much alike she couldn't be sure she would find her way on her own if she needed to.

Finally, Ulquiorra opened a door letting in a bright light. Orihime recoiled and squinted before she realized that it was sunlight. She rushed out the door and lifted her face toward it, eyes closed. She stood there soaking it in for a moment before it occurred to her to wonder how it was possible. She opened her eyes and turned toward Ulquiorra, "I thought there was no sun in Hueco Mundo."

He nodded, "There is not, Aizen created this under the dome."

Orihime glanced up at what looked like an endless blue sky, "Why would he do that? Aren't there hollows whose powers work better in the dark?"

"That is why. If he ever finds himself fighting us this gives him a place to go where he will have an advantage." Ulquiorra explained.

"Is that likely to happen?" she was torn about the prospect. If all the Espada were to turn on Aizen it was hard to imagine he would win, but would that end the war or just make it worse?

Ulquiorra seemed to have to consider her question before he answered. "We do not usually work together in large numbers. Our instinct is to follow whoever is strongest, if they are challenged it is by an individual who replaces the leader if they win. However, that has never been a Shinigami before. A powerful enough Arrancar might be able to convince a group to challenge him together, in which case the leader of that coalition would replace him if they succeeded. It seems unlikely with Aizen's strength, but it is not completely outside the realm of possibility."

"You don't think anyone would succeed."

"He did not take control of Las Noches and build an army by being easy to defeat. Enough questions, I brought you here to train."

She nodded, "What do I need to do?" She didn't like the idea of this training leading to her being forced to fight her friends, but she needed to get stronger if she was going to help them.

"Show me your attack."

"You want me to attack you?"

"I doubt it will cause any significant damage. If it does you can show me your healing abilities."

Orihime hesitated, but summoned Tsubaki and sent him streaking toward the Espada. Ulquiorra swatted the attack aside as easily as a fly. "You are holding back. If you are going to increase your strength you need to push your limits."

"I don't want to actually hurt you!"

"Really? In spite of the fact that I threatened your friends and brought you here to help their enemies?"

"Making me angry isn't going to work when I know you're doing it on purpose."

"Perhaps you would be more motivated if I brought one of your friends here."

Orihime stiffened, her hands clenching at her sides, "You can't! I'm cooperating! You're not supposed to hurt them if I do what Aizen wants!" 

"You are not cooperating if you do not use your fullest abilities. You have proven that protecting your friends—" Tsubaki flew at him. This time he dodged and used the momentum to charge her, right hand outstretched to attack. Orihime summoned her Santen Kesshun. It shattered as Ulquiorra's hand broke through it. She jumped back, knowing she would never get far enough in time but he stopped and slipped his hand back into his pocket.

She wasn't sure but she though he smiled just slightly as he said, "That was what I wanted to see."

They continued like that for hours. Orihime put everything she had into it knowing her friend's lives might depend on it, but she didn't manage to hit Ulquiorra once. He could have struck her several times, but always halted before he made contact. He didn't instruct her, just dodged, blocked and attacked relentlessly while she continued to retreat.

Orihime's spirit energy was depleting quickly and she was physically exhausted as well, but she was determined to keep going as long as she could. Ulquiorra sped behind her and attacked once more, catching her by surprise and causing her to stumble and fall. Seeing him thrusting at her again she rolled away and used the momentum to get back on her feet. She almost fell again, but gritted her teeth and caught herself. She refused to ask him to stop. If the Arrancars respected strength she wouldn't show weakness. She raised her shield as he approached again, but she could see it was not at full strength.

"Enough, if we continue you are going to faint. I have no intention of carrying you back to your room." His hands were back in his pockets. She hesitated a moment, not sure whether to trust him, but her shield wasn't much use now anyway so she let it shatter.

"How did I do?" She asked.

"Better than I expected." He answered, then turned and started walking to the door. At least Orihime thought it was the same door. She followed him in, looking over her shoulder as it closed once again shutting out the sunlight. She sighed, then turned to follow Ulquiorra only to see he had stopped and a much taller Arrancar was leaning against the wall.

"So, this is the new pet," the newcomer leered at them. "I heard Aizen-sama put you in charge of her. What a…delicious job." Orihime's skin crawled at the suggestion in his voice.

"My duties have nothing to do with you, Nnoitora." Ulquiorra appeared as calm as ever, but Orihime heard the same threating edge his voice had taken on when he suggested brining one of her friends to Hueco Mundo.

"I'm just curious. Have you had to discipline her yet?" Orihime forced herself to stand still as his eyes traveled over her.

"Curious or afraid?" Ulquiorra asked.

Nnoitora scoffed, "Afraid? Of some little girl?"

Orihime finally forced herself to speak up, "Well you did wait until you knew I would be tired from training to show up."

Ulquiorra glanced over his shoulder at her, but quickly returned his attention to the taller Espada. "She is right, if you were not afraid why didn't you show yourself sooner?"

"I didn't want to get in your way, that's all."

"You are getting in my way now."

Nnoitora glared and pushed himself off the wall. Looming over Ulquiorra he started to say something, but Ulquiorra's spirit energy rose, and he reached for his Zanpakutō. Taking the hint, Nnoitora snorted and muttered, "I've got to be somewhere else to be anyway," before slinking down the hallway.

"What was that about?" Orihime whispered.

Ulquiorra looked back at her again, "He doesn't like the idea of women fighting. Especially if they outrank him."

"What? But I don't outrank anybody!"

"If you keep training like you did today, you will."

They were silent the rest of the way back to her room as she puzzled over the exchange. She didn't think Ulquiorra would exaggerate her abilities, but it was hard to imagine she could rival an Espada. If that was true however, it might explain why Aizen had brought her here. One thing she was sure of was that Nnoitora had other ideas about what to do with her. Protecting herself from him was just one more reason for her to get stronger.

**I really wanted to include the conversation between Ulquiorra and Nnoitora, but since this is pretty much all from Orihime's viewpoint I decided to have her there for it. Hope you like what I did with it. **

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	4. Chapter 4

**Still don't own any of this. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Four**

**Trickery**

Orihime just had time to clean up and get dressed again when Ulquiorra returned. "Are we going to train some more?" she didn't really feel rested, but she suspected that might be another way to push her limits.

"No, Aizen-sama has sent for you," he exited without another word. Orihime followed, once again trying and failing to keep track of where they were going.

When they arrived in the same room where Aizen had showed her the Hōgyoku he was waiting on his throne, Loly and Menoly behind and on either side of him. He glanced at her clothing then nodded slightly almost in approval before he spoke. "Welcome back, Orihime, I thought you might join me for tea."

Knowing the invitation was really an order Orihime nodded, "Of course, Aizen-sama." He smiled and signaled Loly and Menoly who produced a table and two chairs from somewhere and soon had a simple meal spread across the table. It looked like human food: small sandwiches, some vegetables, even a few cookies. After the tasteless breakfast she had had that morning this seemed like a real luxury.

Aizen rose from his throne and gestured to one of the chairs, "Please, sit." She did so, remaining stiff and nervous as he settled comfortably across from her. With Loly and Menoly glaring at her from behind him and Ulquiorra hovering by the door it felt like a closely chaperoned date. Orihime had never thought she could miss that cold empty room they had her staying in, but at that moment she would rather have been alone in there.

Aizen placed some of the food in front of her, then poured her a cup of tea before doing so for himself. "Go on, eat. I assure you it's harmless, if I had wanted you dead I could have just had Ulquiorra kill you." The Espada nodded as if to confirm he would have done so. Orihime nibbled at her sandwich, she was hungry and it tasted wonderful after what she had eaten here so far, but she knew Aizen had to have other motives and she didn't want to give him any leverage by indicating this was something she would want. Aizen broke the silence, "I want you to understand that I am not the bad guy. I have tried to show you I trust you, now I want to show you that you can trust me. Ask me whatever you want and I will answer honestly. I have nothing to hide, and you won't have a chance to inform the Shinigami of anything, so there really is no reason for me to lie."

Orihime stared at her tea, wondering if she should accept the offer. How would she even know if he lied? Still she might find a way to make use of the information if he really did answer honestly. She decided to start with something small and harmless. "How do you get water in a world that doesn't have any?"

"Everything here is make of spirit particles. With the right equipment you can use them to make anything."

Orihime frowned slightly, unsure of that answer. 'Isn't that a bit like rearranging molecules in the World of the Living? Like alchemists trying to turn lead into gold?"

Aizen cocked his head, intrigued by that question, "I suppose, but spirit particles aren't solid in the same way, they are much more easily manipulated."

Orihime almost choked. _Easily manipulated_, just as she had been when he had her brought here.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, a note of concern in his voice.

Yes! Of course, there was! This whole meeting, the food, letting her ask questions, the gentle way he spoke to her, it was all just another attempt to manipulate her. He was trying to ensure she associated anything good about Hueco Mundo with _him_. She was tempted to tell him she knew exactly what he was doing, but she considered what he would do in retaliation. He wanted her on his side, if he knew deception wouldn't work would he resort to more brutal methods? Would that be enough for him to send someone to attack her friends?

She met those warm, brown eyes that had fooled everyone in the Soul Society for centuries. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just tired from training."

He nodded, appearing to understand, "Of course, the first day of training is always the hardest. I'm sure you'll adjust soon. Would you like to return to your room and rest?"

She wanted to go back to her room to get away from him! But she stared at the food, trying to look torn. "Thank you, but I think I'll finish eating first."

Aizen smiled, "Take your time."

She did, even though she wanted to run away from him. Until her friends could defeat him or she could get to the Hōgyoku and destroy it she had to convince him she was falling for his tricks. If nothing else she might be able to get some information from him, although that could be difficult to do without raising his suspicions. His offer to answer her questions would help, but if she asked too much about the Hōgyoku he would probably realize she was up to something.

Before she left Aizen said, "I realize trust does not come quickly, therefore I would like you to join me for a meal every day. It does not have to be tea, we could meet at any time you prefer."

There he was, giving her the illusion of a choice again. She briefly wondered what he would do if she refused altogether, but decided it was not worth the risk. "Tea is fine," she whispered.

"Wonderful," Aizen raised his teacup as if for a toast, "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." She repressed a shudder at the thought.

As Ulquiorra escorted her back to her room she was surprised to realize she felt more comfortable on that silent walk with him than she had during her meal with Aizen. She still didn't like him, but at least he was straightforward. She didn't have to question his motives or second-guess how far he would be willing to go. He would follow Aizen's orders. That could include killing her or her friends, but at least he never tried to pretend that wasn't a possibility.

She nearly broke down when the door closed behind her. The thought that Aizen controlled everything down to the quality of her food, that he would use that to try to make her see him as a friend and how easy it would be to fall for it, even that the closet thing she had to someone she could trust here was the Espada who had brought her here in the first place, was overwhelming. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, she refused to cry. She had done quite enough of that already and it accomplished nothing. But what could she do? She felt so trapped and helpless and isolated—which was just what Aizen wanted. Then she remembered that she had brought something to help her deal with that.

She made her way into the bedroom and pulled her precious book out from behind the wardrobe. Rather than start at the beginning she flipped to the chapters about the dragon. Adelina had felt the same way when she was held captive by Vollys who gave her gifts from her hoard when she was pleased and repossessed them when she was not. All the while time had been running out. It really wasn't so different from Orihime's own situation, but Addie had never given up, she kept looking for a way to get the answers she needed from Vollys and escape, just as Orihime needed to do with Aizen.

She stared at the book in her hand and reached up to touch her hairpins. She wasn't really alone, she refused to let Aizen turn her against her friends. She would turn his attempts to do so against him.

She whispered into the empty room, "I swear on the memory of my brother, I will do everything in my power to destroy the Hōgyoku and defeat Aizen." She took a deep breath and added, "Even if he kills me for it."

**So…that was a pretty serious ending. I'm hoping to get a little fun in soon, but I don't want to make light of the situation either. Hope y'all enjoyed it anyway.**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks **


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry about this chapter being late. I hope you enjoy it anyway. **

**Chapter Five**

**A Friend?**

Orihime's supper was just as bland as the breakfast had been, nevertheless she choked down as much as she could. Once again, a silent servant collected the dinnerware. Not knowing what else to do Orihime retrieved her book. Since it was unlikely Aizen would want any more from her that day she took it to the main room where the window provided at least somewhat better light. She hadn't finished the first page when the door opened.

"Oh! Um, hello…" she fumbled trying to figure out how to hide or explain the book.

"Hey," a girl with short green hair about the same age as Kurosaki-kun's sisters stepped into the room. She was clearly an Arrancar, her mask remnant sat on top of her head like a horned helmet with the left horn partly cut off and covered her left eye; her visible eye was pink. Her skimpy outfit didn't seem appropriate, especially for someone so young, but she didn't act self-conscious at all. "I'm Lilynette, Starrk's Fraccióne."

"I'm sorry, whose what?"

"Coyote Stark, the Primera Espada. I'm his Fraccióne, aside from Aizen I answer directly to him."

"Primera, so he's the strongest Espada?"

Lilynette snorted, "More like the laziest! He's boring! All he wants to do is lay around all day, so I thought I'd come meet the newbie." She flopped onto the couch and stretched out, still leaving plenty of space for both of them.

"I don't see what's so interesting about me," Orihime muttered, staring at the book in her hands.

"Sure, you can only reject whatever you want, what's so interesting about that? You know Aizen wants to become a god, right? Saying your powers surpasses a god's was basically calling you his equal. That's why you make some of the Espada so nervous, they think you could replace them, or end up giving them orders."

Orihime shook her head and looked at the younger girl, "I'm not here to become an Espada, I just came to protect my friends."

"Doesn't mean that's not what Aizen wants, and if he tells you he'll have your friends killed if you don't become an Espada are you really going to say no?"

Orihime stared at the book again, not sure how to answer that. Becoming an Espada would make her stronger, maybe even give her a shot at Aizen, but would the Shinigami see it that way? Even if she could make herself take the opportunity to move against him?

"What is that anyway?"

"You mean this? It's a book."

Lilynette rolled her pink eye, "Duh, I know that. I meant what's it about? Did you bring it from the Transient World? Why would you do that?"

"I did bring it, I wanted something from home and it was the last book my brother bought me so it's special. It's about these sisters, the older one wants to fight the monsters in their kingdom, and the younger one just wants to stay home and be safe, but the older sister gets sick so the younger one goes on a quest to find the cure," Orihime explained.

Lilynette sat up, "That sounds a hell of a lot more interesting than the books we've got. Mostly its just lists of all the Vasto Lorde who've ruled Las Noches and anything significant they did—which is usually just who they killed to take over and who ended up killing them."

"I guess that would get boring," she was surprised Hollows had books at all, but didn't think saying that would go over well.

Lilynette shrugged, "Around here it's all about survival, we don't have time to read for the fun of it. Of course, since Aizen came along we've got too much time, in Las Noches anyway."

Remembering the conversation she'd had with Ulquiorra about Arrancars turning on Aizen, Orihime decided to risk a question of her own, "Do you know what the Espada think of Aizen? Do they like him?"

"I think most of them are here for their own reasons. Aizen can do something for them so they help him in return, mostly for using the Hōgyoku to make them Arrancars."

"Why are you here?"

"Stark and I were Arrancars before Aizen found us. Our Reiatsu was so strong no one could get near us. That got lonely, especially for Stark. When Aizen told us that we would have comrades as strong as we were if we worked for him Stark said 'Let's do it' and I tagged along. You'd think he'd hang out with the other Espada more, instead of staying in his room all the time."

"So Aizen recruited the two of you together?"

"Yeah, we've always been together."

"How did you meet?"

Lilynette sat up, "Why are you getting personal all of a sudden? That's none of your business!"

"Sorry!" Orihime dropped her book on the couch and waved her hands in surrender. "I was just curious, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Lilynette huffed and fell back onto the couch, arms crossed.

Orihime waited a few minutes before she dared ask another question, "Um, if you don't mind telling me, do you know why Ulquiorra-san works for Aizen?"

The other girl sighed and sat up again, "I know he's the only one besides me and Stark to become an Arrancar before Aizen found him. He killed a couple of expedition units—hundreds of Shinigami—all on his own! That's how he caught Aizen's attention. I don't know why he agreed though."

Orihime thought she was going to be sick. It wasn't just the thought of her guard killing so many Shinigami, she really wasn't very surprised he was capable of something like that, but the way Lilynette said it with an edge of excitement in her voice and a gleam in her eye the way Tatsuki-chan always talked about her favorite athletes' most impressive victories. "Why would he do that?"

If Lilynette noticed the horror in her voice she didn't let on, she just shrugged and said, "They were Shinigami. They're the bad guys."

"That's not true! Shinigami protect people!"

Lilynette flipped off the couch, her fists on her hips, "Who are they protecting when they come here? When they kill every one of us they can find, never mind if we attack them or not; or even if we've ever actually been to the Transient World?!"

Orihime stiffened, not sure what to expect from the angry Arrancar, but couldn't let it go without defending the Shinigami. "Don't Hollows come from the Transient World to start with? They're souls that couldn't move on, right?"

Lilynette's eye widened and she bit her lip and looked down for a moment, "Of course, but Menos don't go there anymore, so there's no reason for the Shinigami to come here and hunt us down like we're the infestation!"

"But their Zanpakutō purify Hollows so they can move on the Soul Society. Isn't that a good thing?"

"How do you _know_ that? How do _they_ know that? You think they follow up? Do they send Shinigami to search Rukongai for the spirits they purified from Hollows? That's just what they tell recruits to convince them they're singing up with the good guys. It's nothing but a bunch of propaganda!" She almost spit the last word as she turned to the door. "Whatever, I'm out of here."

Orihime didn't try to stop her. She stayed on the couch, staring at her hands and thinking. Had Aizen sent Lilynette as another trick? He must have! It was just another way to make her doubt her friends and trust him. Maybe he thought she wouldn't suspect someone who looked so young. She had to remember that they were all working for him. She couldn't trust any of them. No matter how nice they seemed no one here was her friend.

**The whole thing with Stark and Lilynette being split from the same being just always felt off to me, so I'm going in a different direction with that, you might be able to guess what I'm doing but I hope that doesn't keep you from enjoying it.**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks **


	6. Chapter 6

**So, not as late as last week, but not quite back on schedule either. Hopefully next chapter will actually be up by Monday.**

**Chapter Six**

**Triage**

Once again Ulquiorra came for Orihime soon after she finished her tasteless morning meal. As she followed him through the halls she thought they were taking a different route, but she couldn't be sure. She found out she was right when they arrived at what appeared to be a hospital room.

Before she could ask what they were doing there, Ulquiorra stated, "Today we will be testing the limits of your healing abilities."

Orihime was surprised they would be interested in that, but she didn't argue. She knew she was better at healing than fighting and she wasn't eager for a repeat of yesterday's rigorous training. The nurse who seemed to have been told why she was there brought her the patients with the most severe injuries. Mostly numeros with broken bones, severed limbs, or deep stab wounds. In between patients she found a moment to ask, "Why are there so many injured? So far all of them seem to have been hurt by other Arrancars, if the fighting with the Shinigami hasn't started yet are these all from training?"

"Arrancars fight each other often. It's how we determine who is stronger, when just spirit energy doesn't make it obvious," Ulquiorra explained.

"That's how the Espada are ranked, by defeating each other?" Orihime guessed. Before she could say anything else an Arrancar with brown hair and eyes, whose mask fragment formed a collar around his neck dragged Lilynette in by the horn on her mask.

"I told you I'm fine!" she shouted, kicking and flailing her left arm. The man ignored her and approached Orihime.

"Hi, I'm Coyote Stark, Primera Espada, and this is my Fraccióne, Lilynette." He shoved her towards Orihime.

"Lilynette! What happened?" Orihime gasped.

"It's nothing!" the younger girl spat, "I just got into a scuffle with Loly and Menoly, that's all."

"That's all! You're all beat up!" she was right, Lilynette was covered in bruises and her right arm was limp, apparently broken.

"Did I miss something? Do you two know each other?" Stark asked, glancing between the two girls.

"Lilynette came to my room last night," Orihime offered, hoping she wasn't getting her into trouble.

"She did?" Stark looked at Ulquiorra, "Is that allowed?"

"I didn't see any harm in it," Ulquiorra answered.

"Wait, you knew?" Orihime exclaimed.

"Of course, Aizen-sama entrusted you to my care. Did you think I wouldn't monitor who came into your room?"

Orihime blushed at the thought of him watching her so closely. "Well, let's take care of this," she said, turning back to Lilynette. She raised her hands to summon Sōten Kisshun, but Lilynette slapped them away with her good hand.

"I don't need your help!" she insisted.

"Don't be stubborn. That arm needs to be taken car of at least," Stark admonished.

"Then I'll see the nurse."

"Come on, Orihime can heal it faster, and that's why she's here."

"What is this really about?" Ulquiorra asked.

Lilynette was quiet a moment before she answered, "Last night, she was defending the Shinigami!"

Stark threw his hands up, "Well of course she was! You know she's friends with them and she only came here because Aizen threatened them. You can't expect her to see things our way! Besides you still need her help, as long as she's willing there's no reason for you to refuse to let her heal you."

"But she basically said we're better off dead!" Stark looked at Orihime, he didn't seem to have an answer for that.

Orihime stared at the floor. Was that she had said? She hadn't really meant it that way, but if that's what Lilynette thought—well no wonder she was angry! "I'm sorry," she whispered. Self-conscious with all three Arrancars watching her she forced herself to continue, "I didn't think about how what I said would sound to you. I saw my brother become himself again and I know he wanted to move on, so I just thought it would be the same for the rest."

Lilynette snorted, "Not all of us…" Stark dug his knuckles into the top of her head.

"Just fix her up already. We can debate ethics later."

Orihime nodded and summoned Sōten Kisshun. Within a few minutes Lilynette was good as new. Before she and Stark left she asked, "Hey, um, is it okay if I stop by again?"

Orihime nodded and smiled, "Of course!" she glanced at Ulquiorra, wondering if he would object.

"It makes no difference to me," he said simply.

"Great! Maybe I can actually get some sleep without her hanging around all the time!" Stark added.

"What are you talking about? That's all you ever do!"

Orihime had to smile watching the two of them continue to bicker on their way out.

Healing the Arrancars was tedious work. Even for the most serious injuries all she had to do was summon Shun'ō and Ayame. Most of the Arrancars weren't interested in explaining their injuries or having a conversation at all, they just wanted her to heal them as soon as possible. Some she had to heal more than once as they either immediately sought rematches or got into another fight. She started to feel the strain on her spirit energy, but she kept going.

"This doesn't tire you as much," Ulquiorra noted after one of her patients had left.

"Maybe because I've used it more. Kurosaki-kun and the others usually handle the fighting, I just put them back together afterwards."

Ulquiorra nodded, "We will have to continue this later, it is nearly time for your meeting with Aizen."

A lump rose in Orihime's throat. "Should we do that later? I mean if I stop and come back my spirit energy will recover so we won't really get an idea of how long I can do this."

"I will be able to work that out from how much you already used and how much you recover. In fact, it may be helpful to observe how quickly your spirit energy recovers when you rest."

Before Orihime could think of another excuse the same large Arrancar that had come with Ulquiorra to the Transient World came barging in.

"Where is she? I wanna see that girl!" the nurse who had been brining Orihime her patients scurried over and showed him where she was. "There you are! I heard you were in here healing people and I've got something for you to heal!"

"You don't look hurt," Orihime managed.

"My arm!" he swung it in front of him and made a fist. "Remember _your_ friend cut it off! The idiots who reattached it didn't get it strong enough! See!" before Orihime realized what he was doing he struck the nurse sending her flying across the room into a wall. "Before I would have cut her in half!"

Orihime ran across the room and started to heal the nurse.

"Hey! I told you to heal _me!_" he yelled.

Orihime turned to see his giant fist coming at her. She summoned Santen Kesshun and his fist crashed into it. despite how tired she already was it held. "Get out," she said firmly.

"What?"

"I said get out. There's nothing wrong with your arm and I'm not going to heal you, so you should just leave."

As he pulled back is fist to strike again Ulquiorra stepped between them, "That's enough, Yammy."

Yammy sneered, "Someone's got to teach her a lesson."

"Aizen-sama placed her in my care, I suggest you leave before I remove your arm again myself. I doubt she will change her mind about healing you after that."

Yammy stared down at the smaller Arrancar as if trying to decide whether he would go through with the threat. Ulquiorra started to pull his hand out of his pocket. "Fine, I'm goin'," he glared at Orihime, "but we're not done," he stormed out.

Orihime finished healing the nurse and followed Ulquiorra to Aizen's room again. As they settled at the table Aizen said, "I know you were healing today. How did it go?"

"It went fine, mostly," her voice must have given her away since Aizen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Mostly?"

When Orihime hesitated Ulquiorra spoke up, "Yammy showed up claiming his arm still needed to be healed. He threatened her."

Aizen frowned, "I see."

Orihime managed to ask, "I thought you ordered them not to harm me."

"Unfortunately giving an order does not guarantee it will be obeyed. Arrancars are unruly."

"I saw that. So many were hurt just today, and it wasn't always a fair fight, she added the last bit while looking at Loly and Menoly.

Aizen nodded, "It is their nature to fight. There is nothing I can do about that, but I will see that Yammy is…redirected."

Orihime nodded, but she didn't thank him. If she started doing that she might start believing he deserved it.

**I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks **


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay! I got it up on time! Of course, the only deadline I have is the one I gave myself, but I don't want to keep y'all waiting too long. Well here it is.**

**Chapter Seven**

**Lab**

Orihime once again followed Ulquiorra through featureless white corridors unsure of where they were going. After two days in Hueco Mundo she still didn't know what to expect. Eventually they arrived in a lab, a pink-haired Arrancar whose mask remnants took the form of a pair of glasses was waiting for them.

"Well, it's about time," he said pushing his glasses up. "I'm Szayelaporro Granz, Eighth Espada. It's my job to study your abilities."

"Study them how?" Orihime managed to ask, envisioning the torturous things done to aliens captured by the government in movies.

"We'll start simple. I'll take a few samples of your Reiatsu, then observe you as you use your powers. After that, I'll just have to see what else will help me learn about them. Unfortunately, I'm limited by Aizen-sama's orders. As long as your useful to him I have to be careful not to cause lasting damage." He sighed like a misunderstood artist. "I hope he realizes there's only so much I can learn that way. Your abilities would be much more useful if I could learn how others could use them."

Orihime shuddered and he smiled as if that was exactly the reaction he was going for.

"You will exercise restraint until Aizen-sama orders otherwise." Ulquiorra stated firmly.

"Yes, yes, I know, that's why you're here." Szayelaporro waved a hand dismissively at the other Espada. "Now sit down so we can get started." He motioned Orihime towards a chair. Reluctantly she took it, aware of Ulquiorra standing behind her.

Szayelaporro stuck some sensors onto her forehead and pulse points (after realizing her boobs were too big to let hem get a good reading on her heart rate from her chest) then had her lean forward to let him put some on her back to monitor her breathing. He frowned at a device in his hand that the sensors wirelessly sent their readings to. "Calm down! I need to see what's normal for you so I can tell what effects using your powers has."

She tried, she thought about Sora and Kurosaki-kun, she imagined being at home with Tatsuki-chan, anything that made her feel safe, but it was almost impossible to take her mind away from where she was. When she thought of Tatsuki's promise to protect her she knew there was nothing her oldest friend could do against an Arrancar. Imagining Kurosaki-kun trying to save her just ended with seeing him terribly hurt and her forbidden to heal him. Sora was already dead, there was nothing he could do for her. Nothing anyone could do. She was on her own. Panic seized her. She had always depended on other people to protect her and now, suddenly she was cut off from all of them.

But she had known that when she came here, in fact she had come to protect them, and this wasn't the first time. She had protected Ichigo when her hollowfied brother attacked him. When she first got her powers, she saved Tatsuki from a Hollow. She had freed Rukia from a Bount's control when even her friend had given up. The first time she had seen Arrancars she had stood her ground against them trying to defend Chad. Most of her friends would have died more than once if she hadn't been there to heal them. Maybe she depended on her friends, but they depended on her too. She couldn't fail them now.

Szayelaporro nodded as her vitals apparently settled back to normal. He watched for a few minutes before saying, 'I suppose that will do for now. I want to check again next time just to be sure." He began pulling the sensors off of Orihime and putting them away. "That took longer than expected, I'd like to keep her a bit longer to conduct more preliminary tests."

"No," Ulquiorra answered, "she is needed elsewhere."

"Do I at least have time to get a blood sample?"

"Very well, but don't waste time."

Orihime thought she ought to have some say in who got a sample of her blood, but she knew Aizen wanted Szayelaporro to perform these tests so she said nothing. The needle didn't sting much when it pierced her vein. She couldn't help watching as crimson fluid filled the vial which was quickly replaced by another.

"Enough," Ulquiorra said once the third vial was filled.

Szayelaporro waved a dismissive hand, "Oh, this won't hurt her, I know Aizen-sama wants her alive, but yes this will do for now. I can always collect more later."

Orihime almost shuddered again at the way he took that for granted. He removed the needle, but didn't bother bandaging the small puncture, "Can you heal that yourself?" the Eighth Espada asked, pointing to the spot.

"I don't know. I've never tried healing myself." She admitted. She had always worried more about her friends, even after the serious injuries she had received the first time she faced Yammy it just hadn't occurred to her to try it on herself.

"Well try it now," Szayelaporro said crossing his arms.

Orihime chewed on her lip and stared down at the dot on her arm. If hardly seemed worth healing, but maybe it was better to test if she could heal herself on something small. She summoned Shun'ō and Ayame and they formed the smallest dome of Sōten Kisshun over the needle prick. Within seconds it was completely healed.

Szayelaporro seemed satisfied. "I would like to see what your limits are, but we are out of time for now. I look forward to seeing you here again," she didn't, but didn't dare say so.

Ulquiorra led her out of the lab and all too soon to Aizen's room for the dreaded tea.

"How are you feeling today?" Aizen asked as he served her.

"All right," she answered quietly. She considered telling him she would be better if she didn't have to be a lab rat, but she was afraid that would be a step too far.

"I don't believe I have asked about your accommodations. Are your rooms comfortable?"

"Yes," that wasn't really a lie, as much as she hated the lack of color and the emptiness it was better than the cell she would have expected.

"And is the food to your liking?" he watched her expectantly, probably thinking this was where she would complain.

"It's fine," if he was looking for something to bribe her with, she would try to disappoint him.

"Oh, really?" he seemed genuinely surprised. "I know most of the food here can be rather tasteless. The Arrancars aren't feeding you from their stores, are they?" so he was trying to pretend he didn't know.

"It keeps me alive and nourished enough to keep going. I am still a prisoner, I couldn't expect anything too good."

"I hope our meals together at least offer you some relief."

She guessed admitting that eating with him ruined her appetite wouldn't go over well so she simply said, "It's enough."

"I could arrange for better food to be sent to your room, or perhaps you would like to join me more often."

Orihime threw her hands in the air, "Oh no! that's fine, you don't have to got to any trouble, really!"

"Well if you change your mind, just ask." Of course, he wanted her to request it. this was just another way to try to break her. Which just made her more determined not to give in.

Lilynette peeked around the door into Orihime's room, can I come in?" she asked timidly.

"Of course, I could use some company that's not Aizen."

"What about Ulquiorra?" Lilynette asked, closing the door behind her.

"Better than Aizen, but he's a guard dog, not company."

"What do you have against him?"

"Apart from the fact that he brought me here and is totally willing to kill me or my friends the moment Aizen gives the order?"

Lilynette looked down a moment, "Oh, I guess that would be a problem."

"At least he's honest about it, I'll give him credit for that." That and he didn't leer at her the way Aizen did, but she wasn't going to get into a conversation about that with a child.

"Anyway, I brought a game, I thought you might be getting bored," Lilynette produced a box from behind her back.

"I have been actually, thank you. What's the game?"

The young Arrancar dumped the box's contents on the floor, "Pick up sticks."

Orihime stared at the jumble of seemingly crystalline sticks on the floor, "What?"

"Lilynette knelt on the floor next to the pile. "The rules are pretty simple. You try to take a stick off the pile, if you get it without moving any of the others you keep it, if the others move you have to leave it. Whoever has the most when the pile is gone wins."

Orihime didn't think that sounded very entertaining, but she didn't want to hurt Lilynette's feelings again, and it was still better than staring at the wall so she settled on the floor. "So, who's on first?"

She was surprised at how nerve-wracking it turned out to be, she was constantly biting her lip or sticking out her tongue in concentration she tried to free a stick only to move another with it and lose the turn. Lilynette never hesitated to take advantage of her failures knocking other sticks loose. By the time the pile was divided between them there was no doubt who had won.

"Don't worry, you'll get better," Lilynette cheerfully assured her.

Orihime couldn't help laughing, "Well I could hardly get worse!"

"Want to play again?"

"Sure, it's better than staring at the wall."

The sticks had hardly clattered to the floor when the door opened and Ulquiorra entered. He looked at Lilynette, "Stark has been looking for you. He thought you might have gotten into another fight."

Lilynette groaned and rolled her pink eye, "I don't go looking for fights you know."

"I only meant he was worried—did you con her into playing that ridiculous game?"

"You might be surprised how challenging it is," Orihime said defensively. Lilynette slapped her own forehead. Without a word Ulquiorra strode to the pile and plucked out a stick that seemed hopelessly entangled—without moving any of the others. "I'll tell Sark where you are and that you'll return in a few…" he glanced at the pile of sticks, "hours."

Lilynette pulled another stick loose, "We'd be done faster if you played too!"

He looked at Orihime, "I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

Lilynette turned to her with a pleading look. Orihime hesitated, she still didn't like Ulquiorra much, but Lilynette obviously had a crush on him and she knew she would have jumped at an opportunity to spend time like this with Kurosaki-kun. She shrugged, "I don't mind, besides—" she pulled out a stick herself, "it's your turn."

Ulquiorra glanced at the stick in his hand as if just realizing what he had gotten himself into. "Very well," to Orihime's surprise he sat on the floor too.

Ulquiorra won of course, but Orihime saw that he sometimes nudged sticks so that they just happened to land in a way that gave Lilynette the opportunity to pull them out without difficulty.

"I'll take you back to Stark," Ulquiorra told Lilynette once the sticks were all back in the box.

"I know the way!"

"Of course, but so do Loly and Menoly."

"I can handle them!"

"And then you'll be right back here to be healed and we'll have to have this conversation all over again. Maybe you have the time for that, but I have better things to do." Considering he had just sat through a game of pick up sticks Orihime doubted that, but she didn't say so, she didn't want Lilynette running into Loly and Menoly again either.

"I think it's a good idea," she said instead.

Lilynette's shoulders slumped, "Fine," she muttered.

As the door closed behind the two Arrancars Orihime couldn't help thinking that Ulquiorra treated Lilynette almost like a little sister. Except Hollows were heartless, and they certainly didn't have families. As she stared at the wall, she couldn't help wondering just how much the Shinigami had wrong.

**Hope you enjoyed. I've started on the next one so hopefully it will be up next week.**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	8. Chapter 8

**So sorry about the unexpected hiatus! Right around when I posted that last chapter, we found out my dad had an artery blockage, so writing took a back seat while that was getting taken care of and it took a while for me to get back into it. Anyway, he's fine now, and hopefully there won't be any more long delays.**

**Chapter Eight**

**Observed**

As Orihime adjusted to the false sunlight under the dome she and Ulquiorra both stopped short when they saw who was waiting for them.

"What are you doing here, Szayelaparro" Ulquiorra demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you not get the message? We really must develop a more efficient communications system. I'm here to observe your training. My studies of the girl's powers will be much more effective if I see them in action. There's only so much you can do in a lab after all."

"Unacceptable. You will be in the way."

"I won't interfere, that would affect my studies. Of course, you could delay both her training and my studies to check with Lord Aizen. No one could blame you for wanting to be sure"

Orihime suspected that Aizen would very much blame Ulquiorra for questioning orders. She was also sure that Szayelaparro wouldn't dare challenge a higher ranked Espada like this unless he really did have orders to back it up. She couldn't help but hope that Ulquiorra would insist on getting confirmation anyway.

Hands fisted in his pockets, Ulquiorra said, "there is no point in delaying. Proceed, but I will hold you to your limits." So much for hope.

"Relax, I'm here strictly to observe. I would prefer to monitor her vitals, or does that exceed my limits?"

"You may apply the necessary sensors, but no more."

Orihime wasn't happy about these decisions being made without her input, or without even using her name, but she didn't argue and allowed Szayelaparro to apply the sensors. Causing trouble would only make things worse.

Szayelaparro studied the receiver in his hand for a moment before nodding. "That's about the same as last time. I'll get out of the way now."

As soon as he moved off Orihime fired Tsubaki, venting her frustrations into the attack. Caught by surprise Ulquiorra dodged, but Tsubaki curved to follow him. He swatted the Rikka aside and lunged toward Orihime, striking her shield. When Orihime raised her hand to direct Tsubaki again, Ulquiorra grabbed her wrist. "That is unnecessary. The Rikka are a part of you, they should respond without a physical action, they _are_ the action. Directing them with your hand gives your opponent both forewarning and a target."

Orihime froze, not sure how to respond. He had not commented on her methods before and she hadn't expected this time to be different.

Ulquiorra released her and stepped back. "Let us continue."

Orihime tried to stay on the offensive this time, but Ulquiorra's experience was enough to counter her attacks. She did manage to use her shield to block most of his attacks and again the times he got through he pulled back before injuring her. In the unchanging light she couldn't be sure, but she thought they continued longer. She was exhausted by the time Ulquiorra announced "That's enough."

"What? But she still has enough energy to keep going!" Szayelaparro objected.

"I'm not going to push her until she collapses."

Szayelaparro dismissively waved his free hand, "She'll survive."

"Aizen-sama entrusted me with her care—"

"And me with studying her. I can hardly observe her limits if you don't push her to them."

"It is not wise for anyone to be completely defenseless in Las Noches."

"Well, that's what you're here for isn't it?"

"Stop it! Orihime cried. "I'm not going to keep going until I faint just to satisfy your curiosity!"

"In case you've forgotten you are a prisoner, and prisoners don't get a vote." Szayelaparro turned to Ulquiorra, "Perhaps I should inform Aizen-sama that you cannot control her."

"I will certainly be informing him that you attempted to exceed your limits."

Szayelaparro seemed to deflate at that. "Have it your way, for now."

As the other Espada walked away Ulquiorra turned back to Orihime, "You should be more careful who you mouth off to."

"I don't like being left out of decisions that affect me."

"As Szayelaparro pointed out you are a prisoner. You don't get to make decisions."

Orihime looked down, feeling embarrassed for thinking even for a moment that he could be an ally. She mustn't allow herself to forget they were on different sides. "What would happen if Aizen decided you couldn't…control me?"

"He would assign you to someone he believed could. Likely one of the other Shinigami he brought with him, he trusts them more than us. Though he might decide to watch over you himself."

Orihime's shoulders slumped at that thought. As unpleasant as Ulquiorra could be he was better than Aizen. The difference was very relative, she would never tolerate him at home, but she would take what she could get in this place. She would have to control herself better, so she wouldn't end up in a worse situation that she already was.

As Ulquiorra started leading her back to her room he said, "You were more willing to fight today."

"Szayelaparro just got me mad."

"Then perhaps his observing our training isn't a complete waste." Coming from anyone else she would have thought that was a joke.

"You didn't like it either."

He glanced back at her before answering, "He could get in the way. He has a habit of wanting to study unusual abilities—whether his subjects agree or not. If he must I suppose watching us train is a relatively harmless way of going about it. At least this way I know what he is doing."

The way he spoke made Orihime wonder if he was one of the "subjects" Szayelaparro wanted to study. That would explain his eagerness to watch them train, but it made her wonder what unusual abilities Ulquiorra had. Not that she would ever have dared to ask.

**Well I hope it was worth the wait! **

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yay! A new chapter that didn't take me months to get up! Hope y'all enjoy it!**

**Chapter Nine**

**Routine**

It's amazing how quickly almost anything can become routine. Orihime couldn't be sure how long she had been in Las Noches, but the days had already settled into a pattern. Mornings were spent either training with Ulquiorra or healing the other Arrancars. She would get a brief rest before tea with Aizen, then spend the "evenings" playing games with Lilynette. Ulquiorra would take Lilynette back to her rooms after whether he had joined in the games or not and Orihime would walk with them, just to put off being left alone in her room. She was even beginning to learn her way around Los Noches. Which was why she volunteered to take Lilynette home when Ulquiorra was running late.

"I can go by myself; I don't want you to get in trouble for leaving your room when you're not supposed to."

"No one's ever actually told me I'm not allowed to leave my room, I'm pretty sure Ulquiorra just comes to get me so I won't get lost."

"Where do you think he is?"

Orihime frowned and looked at the door, "He isn't usually late," she forced a smile and looked back at Lilynette, "I'm sure he's just busy. Aizen must have had something for him to do. Anyway, he doesn't want you wandering around by yourself, so I'm coming with you."

Lilynette groaned, "Fine, just don't get lost on your way back."

"Great, let's go!" Orihime responded and they set out. Despite her cheerful tone she was worried. Not about finding her way back to her room, but about why Ulquiorra hadn't shown up. Was he in trouble? Or could he be involved in an attack on the Shinigami? She had gotten more comfortable with him, it was hard to be afraid of someone she had seen deliberately lose to a little girl, but she didn't have any illusions about what he was capable of. If Aizen had ordered him to hurt her friends she had no doubt that he would. Still she didn't think she had done anything to be punished for, but it was hard to imagine what Ulquiorra could be in trouble for. She was sure she would have heard if they were planning an attack on the Soul Society though. Unless they had orders not to let her find out.

There was a blur of motion ahead of her and Lilynette cried out. She had been so distracted she hadn't noticed Loly and Menoly lurking around a corner. The whole reason she had insisted on coming and she'd failed.

Her hand flew to her hairpins, "Let her go!"

"We're not scared of you!" Loly yelled.

"You should be, I've been training with an Espada!"

The two Arrancars laughed cruelly, "You think he's been going all-out? He's just playing with you! Even against the weakest of us, you're nothing!"

"You wanna find out if you're right about that?"

"Fine. Melonie, you hold onto the pipsqueak, I'll deal with this princess."

Lilynette struggled against her captor, "You can't hurt her! It's Aizen-sama's orders!"

Loly grinned, "Well then Aizen-sama should keep better track of his pets. All sorts of terrible things can happen to strays." She drew her Zanpakutō and stalked forward.

"Tsubaki!" the Rikka flew around Loly and struck Melonie on the arm. She cried out and loosened her grip on Lilynette who broke free, tripping Melonie in the process and tackled Loly from behind.

"That's cheating!"

Orihime smirked, "I don't remember establishing any rules. One thing I've learned from Ulquiorra, you don't always have to be stronger than your opponent, just smarter."

"Indeed," all three girls jumped as the Fourth Espada stepped around the corner, "and you two should know better than to disregard Aizen-sama's orders."

"She started it," Melonie muttered.

"That's not true! They attacked us!" Lilynette protested.

"I'm aware," he stared at Loly and Menoly, "I expect this won't happen again." The two slunk off without another word.

"You are both unharmed?"

"I'm fine," Lilynette said, and Orihime nodded.

"Then let's get you back to your rooms."

Once Lilynette was safe with Stark, Ulquiorra escorted Orihime back toward her own room.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let this happen. I wasn't paying enough attention."

"They were going to try something eventually, and probably will again. You handled it well once they did."

"You saw?"

"Enough."

"So, where were you?" she assumed she didn't have to explain why she had been taking Lilynette back herself.

"That is not your concern."

Orihime didn't ask any more questions, but she couldn't help wondering. Ulquiorra had never been late before and it was convenient how close he had been. Close enough to see what had happened and to intervene before things could escalate. Yet he had waited until after she had acted. Could this whole thing have been a test? If so, then of what exactly? Her abilities? Her willingness to use them? Simply what she would do if an Arrancar was threatened? If it was a test, had Aizen ordered it? Or was it Ulquiorra's own idea? What exactly was this whole thing supposed to accomplish? All these questions brough her back to her original one: why was she here?

**Shorter chapter, but I got what wanted to into it. Let me know what you think.**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: this chapter contains attempted sexual assault! On the brighter side there is some cute Ulquihime stuff at the end. **

**Chapter Ten**

**Marabunta**

Las Noches was quiet. It was hard to judge the time of day in a world with no sun, but Orihime was fairly certain that most of the Arrancars were asleep as she made her way down the corridor. After not getting in trouble for leaving her room with Lilynette she knew it was time to act. Despite never walking around Las Noches on her own before she had no trouble finding Aizen's smaller throne room. She held her breath as she pushed open the door, half-expecting Ulquiorra or someone to stop her. No one did.

Entering the throne room, she approached the spot where the Hōgyoku had risen out of the floor. Not sure what to do she just stood there, staring at it. Aizen had just used his spirit energy to raise it, but what if it didn't react to hers? If she failed her spirit energy would alert anyone nearby to her presence.

Well she couldn't just stand there forever. "Shun Shun Rikka," she summoned all six of them at once and pointed to the floor. "Can you open it?"

"No problem!" Shun-o said with a salute. The Rikka formed a ring around the spot and an orange-gold glow surrounded them. The pedestal rose from the floor.

Orihime stepped closer to the pedestal as the Rikka flew around her. "Oh no!" the Hōgyoku was gone! She let the Rikka return to her hairpins. What else could she do?

"Did you really think it would still be here?" She whirled around to see Aizen standing near the door. "I thought you might try something like this."

"Where is it?"

"Do you really expect me to tell you?" Orihime just looked at the floor. "What have the Shinigami done to deserve your loyalty? You know they've committed terrible acts."

She looked back up at him, "You're no better! You're going to destroy Karakura!"

"Nothing more than an anthill."

Orihime should have been afraid, but hearing him talk about her home like that just made her angry. She met Aizen's eyes and moved toward him. "Ants, huh? You've never heard of the marabunta have you?"

"What?"

"Ants, South American army ants. Every so often for reason anyone can discern they march. They can form columns a mile wide, and two miles long. The devour everything in their path. It takes decades for the vegetation to grow back. Even jaguars run when the marabunta are on the march. And they're no bigger than ordinary ants you would see in anyone's back yard. Be careful where you step, Aizen-sama, or we ants just might devour you."

Aizen stared at her, dumbfounded. Orihime started around him to the door, but as she passed him, he grabbed her arm. "You're not getting off that easily." He grasped her hair and pulled her closer to him, "I have tried to be gentle with you, but clearly that isn't working." He threw her to the floor and kicked her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, refusing to give him the satisfaction, and stood before he could attack her again. Her shield between them. Or so she thought. Aizen grabbed her from behind. She stuck her foot between his legs tripping him and ran for the door, but he grabbed her dress, pulling her down. He rolled her on to her back and straddled her, then began tearing open the front of her dress. He leaned close to her face, she raised her head and bit his nose. She heard a satisfying crack, and felt blood spray on her chin and chest, but she didn't let go until he struck her face. "Bitch!" he scrambled to his feet, hand over his bleeding nose. She rolled away as he raised a foot to kick her again.

"You might want to get that looked at." Ulquiorra was standing in the doorway. Aizen glared down at Orihime for a moment, "It is bleeding profusely," the Espada pointed out, stepping between them. "You wouldn't want to make it worse." Orihime realized his hand was resting on his Zanpakutō. He couldn't be threating Aizen!

Aizen still glared, but nodded. Ulquiorra maneuvered to stay between them as the Shinigami left the room.

"Thank you," Orihime said as he helped her up.

"Your seemed to have the situation under control." Was he actually smiling? "You should get cleaned up yourself." She nodded and followed him back to her room.

"Wait," she said when he turned to leave. He stopped and looked back. "Could you stay? I don't want to be alone right now."

"You wouldn't prefer one of the women?" She shook her head. Ulquiorra nodded.

When she came back from the shower, he was sitting on the couch—reading her book! "Oh! Where did you find that?"

He looked up, "You left it here."

"Oh."

"I wasn't aware there were so many kinds of monsters in the Transient world."

Orihime clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. "There aren't," she managed to say. "It's a fantasy. They're make-believe."

"Why would humans invent such things when they already have so many troubles?"

She settled down on the couch next to him while she thought about the answer. "I guess it's encouraging to see characters defeating them. It makes us think our own problems aren't so bad. If the heroes in a story can win, maybe we can too."

"Of course, in your case you have real monsters to deal with."

"Maybe not as many as I thought," she said and looked down as she felt her face heat up.

Ulquiorra handed the book to her, "I suppose you'll get more use out of this than I will."

Orihime smiled as she took it from him. "Maybe I can help you with that."

**Sorry for the uncomfortable bit, the idea is that it's more about showing her he's in control than for his own enjoyment so it made sense to me. I hope that wasn't too rough, let me know if you think I should up the rating because of it, I'm kinda on the fence about that.**

**I've been dying to write that Marabunta speech for years! Every time a supervillain compares humans to ants I think "Someone needs to tell him about the Marabunta." They are real ants, although Orihime describes the (slightly) exaggerated movie version here, I figured that would be more effective. If you think they sound interesting you should check out the Charleston Heston movie **_**The Naked Jungle**_**, where he's trying to defend his home from them.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry this is a bit late. Hope y'all like it!**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Departure**

Orihime woke up on the couch pulling the blanket closer around her. She must have fallen asleep after reading. Wait a minute. She didn't remember having a blanket. She sat up to see Ulquiorra sitting on the other end of the couch, eyes closed. Was he asleep?

She got up to put the blanket away in the bedroom. When she got back, she noticed Ulquiorra was twitching a bit. Was he having a nightmare? Should she wake him up? She knew waking up a soldier could be dangerous; he might attack her before he knew what was going on. She went around to approach him from behind, thinking that might give her more time to jump back if she startled him. He woke up before she reached.

"Wah! You scared me! I was going to wake you up, but you're awake, you surprised me. But I was relieved to know you could actually sleep, Ulquiorra-kun," she used the "-kun" suffix without thinking about it.

"It's Ulquiorra. Don't refer to me as you would a human. When you call me 'Ulquiorra' call me only that."

Orihime looked down, unsure how to respond to that. He called Aizen "sama" so he probably understood that leaving off an honorific usually meant an intimate relationship, but she knew that wasn't how he meant it. Still it felt strange. Before she could decide what else to say, the Arrancar server arrived with her breakfast. He paused in the doorway when he saw Ulquiorra was there already and Orihime blushed, realizing what it looked like.

"I need to speak with Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra announced and stepped out the door.

Orihime tried to eat despite the lead ball in her stomach as she wondered what Aizen would do about the previous night's events. As slow as she ate it still seemed like a long wait before Ulquiorra returned. She stood, ready to go to her usual training, hoping he wouldn't take her to Aizen instead.

"We're not training today." That lead weight in her stomach dropped. "You are coming with me on a mission."

"A mission?" was Aizen going to force her to watch her friends be attacked?

"I'm being sent to deal with a Shinigami expedition unit."

"And Aizen wants me to go with you?"

"He told me I could bring whoever I choose."

"Should I bring anything?"

"The Shun Shun Rikka should be enough. We Shouldn't delay."

"Okay," she followed him out of the room. As they trudged out of Las Noches, she noticed some of the other Arrancars they passed either staring at or looking way from them. Hallibel was the only one who openly acknowledged them and even that was just a nod.

Once they were out Orihime looked up for her first sight of Hueco Mundo's sky unobstructed by bars.

"You can look later; we need to keep moving." Orihime sighed and picked up her pace.

She wasn't sure how long they kept going without Las Noches seeming to grow any smaller behind them. She started counting to higher and higher numbers between glances back, hoping that the longer she waited the more difference she would see, but it didn't seem to be helping.

Suddenly Ulquiorra stopped, "We are being followed." When they turned around Lilynette jumped out from behind a boulder. "It's me!" she announced unabashedly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Like you said, I'm following you."

"Children do not belong on missions. Return to Las Noches at once."

Lilynette crossed her arms. "You'll have to drag me back yourself. And then you'll have to explain to Aizen-sama why you brought her along," she pointed her chin at Orihime.

There was silence for a moment before Ulquiorra grumbled, "Fine," and turned to continue the march away from Las Noches.

Having Lilynette along made the trip livelier as she chattered incessantly, explaining that the trees were really made of crystal and pointing out tiny animals with Hollow masks. Orihime was surprised when she finally looked back and could no longer see Las Noches. Even Ulquiorra seemed more relaxed with the city out of sight.

Eventually a giant tree came into view ahead of them it reminded Orihime of pictures she had seen of the giant Baobab trees, but with bare, white branches. "Wow! It's huge!"

Lilynette nodded, "I've been all over Hueco Mundo and this is still the biggest one I've ever seen." She ran ahead.

"That's where we'll stay," Ulquiorra informed Orihime.

"How did you find it?" she asked.

"I simply happened across it. This is where I became an Arrancar.

"I though Aizen used the Hōgyoku to make the Arrancars."

"Not all of us." He didn't elaborate and she didn't ask.

**Short chapter, but the next one's longer.**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm so sorry about how bloody long this has taken! Hopefully it's worth the wait.**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Choice**

When they arrived at the tree Ulquiorra led Orihime through the maze of branches to the space around the trunk, where Lilynette was waiting, climbing up and down the branches with no regard for the sharp edges and points the crystal produced. Perhaps her Hierro protected her from being cut on it.

"I'm going to scout around. The two of you stay here. I will return when I know where they are going and decide on the best course of action." Ulquiorra said.

Orihime nodded, then looked down at the ground. She had almost forgotten why they were here. Would she be expected to fight the Shinigami? It occurred to her that sending her on this mission could be a punishment for trying to destroy the Hōgyoku, and all that had followed. Before she could think of something to say Ulquiorra was gone.

"You don't know, do you?" Lilynette asked, dropping down from the tree.

Startled out of her thoughts all Orihime could say was "What?"

"Aizen-sama didn't want Ulquiorra to bring you. He gave him this mission as an excuse to send him away. I heard him say something about not wanting any interruptions next time."

Orihime shuddered, she had no doubts about what Aizen didn't want to be interrupted doing. "Won't he get in trouble for bringing me?"

Lilynette looked down and kicked at the sand, "He might get away with it since Aizen-sama told him he could bring whoever he wanted, without specifying it should be an Arrancar."

Hearing the doubt in her voice made Orihime wonder what Aizen did to punish Espada. She didn't dare ask.

"Lilynette," Ulquiorra had returned. "They're heading for the colony."

"Do they know?"

"It doesn't matter, warn them. I'll deal with the Shinigami." Lilynette nodded and Sonídoed away.

"What do you want me to do?" Orihime asked.

"Stay out of the way," he turned to leave, then looked back, "There is a cave near the roots of this tree. You may find it safer." In a flash he was gone.

So not only was he not making her fight, he was telling her to go hide, that seemed to support Lilynette's claims.

With nothing better to do she walked around the tree until she found a small opening and squeezed though feet first. She squealed as she slid down a narrow chute with smooth walls of crystal. She was deposited outside the base of a giant trunk, looking up she saw branches far above her, but no sky. Other trees towered nearby, at least they seemed nearby, considering how big they were, they may have been farther away than they looked. She had no idea these trees were so huge! They seemed to be holding up the sand she had just been standing on.

Movement caught her attention and she realized there were Hollows heading straight for her. Hurriedly she looked around for the cave Ulquiorra had mentioned. Surely if he had intended to kill her, he could have done that himself instead of tricking her into coming down here.

There it was. She dove for the mouth of the cave and into the darkness beyond. Instantly several torches lit on their own. She could sense intense spirit energy distinct from that of Hueco Mundo, or anywhere else she had been. Where was she?

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" all curiosity about where she was fled, replaced by worry about who else was there as the eerie voice echoed off the walls accompanied by sickening slaps. For a moment she froze, wondering if facing this thing would be better or worse than the Hollows waiting outside. The cries came again, and she realized she had to investigate, if someone was in trouble she had to try to help.

She ran towards the sound, as well as she could with the echoes. As she drew closer, she could hear running water as well. She stumbled into a bright cavern. Once her eyes adjusted, she could see foliage growing all around her, but she didn't have time to admire the scenery. The voice and slaps seemed to be coming from the other side of a boulder next to the stream.

Moving more cautiously now that she was about to confront whatever was responsible for what she'd been hearing she rounded the boulder. She was met with the sight of a grotesque creature with its back to her. As it cried out again it raised its fist, clutching something she couldn't quite make out. It started to bring the thing down once more.

"Stop! What are you—" the creature spun to face her, eyes wide, and she could finally see what it was holding. Laughing she sank to the cave floor in relief. "A fish! It was just a fish!"

The creature stared at Orihime then looked at the fish in its hand, "What you think it was?"

Orihime brough her laughter under control and shook her head, "Oh, it doesn't matter. I'm Orihime."

"Hime! Hi! I'm Caleb!" that seemed like an extraordinarily ordinary name, but she didn't say so. "How you find caves?" HHH

"My…friend told me where it was."

"Friend?"

"His name's Ulquiorra."

"Batty! Why you not say so? Come on!" He started bounding away, waving for her to follow him, still clutching his fish.

"Wait! Come on where?"

"Home! You want go home, right?"

"Home? How? I'm from the Transient world. These caves are in Hueco Mundo right?"

Caleb shook his head, "Caves go everywhere! Come, I take you home!"

"You mean the caves connect to different worlds?" she felt slow, but it seemed so incredible.

"Uh-huh, I take you home," he used his fish to point across the cavern.

"How do you know where to take me?"

Caleb sighed, "Batty told me. Come on!"

Orihime stood up, "Ulquiorra told you where to take me?" she wondered how he had gotten the nickname "Batty" but that hardly seemed like the most pressing question at the moment.

"Duh!"

"But he's supposed to keep me from leaving!"

Caleb frowned at her, "Batty told me take you home. Come now!" he slapped his fish on the ground for emphasis.

Orihime stayed rooted where she was. It didn't make any sense for this to be a trick, there were much easier ways to kill her. If Aizen wanted to punish her by making her watch her friends be attacked, maybe even killed, well there were easier ways to do that too. Which meant this had to be a real chance to go home.

She took a small step forward. Caleb nodded, and took off again. She froze again. If Ulquiorra could get into trouble for taking her on a mission he wasn't supposed to, how much more trouble would he be in if she didn't come back? She wanted to leave. She wanted to see her friends again, to help keep them safe. But she had friends here too now. She didn't want to go back to Las Noches. She didn't want to face Aizen again. She didn't want to be forced to fight for him or do anything else he might want. But what would he do to Ulquiorra if she left now? And what about Lilynette? Would she get in trouble too? She couldn't leave them. Not like this.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, too quiet for Caleb to hear, then she turned, and ran back the way she had come.

**One more chapter after this! Hope y'all liked it.**

**Thanks, and prayers,**

**RAHbooks**


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